The Majestic Hotel at Udvada in Gujarat was a popular destination for tourists until it shut down in the 1990s. A hub of Parsi merry-making in the 1950s and 1960s, it has become a mere shadow of its glorious past. A photograph by Shantanu Das shows one of its doors with a rusted bolt and… Continue reading Udvada: A town on the verge of being forgotten
Month: April 2016
Parsi kids revive Monajats at event
On Saturday evening, the Parsi community of Mumbai saw the recital of MonaJat songs, or religious Parsi songs, during a competition at Allbless Baug in Charni Road. This was for the first time that such an event was held in the city. Article by Forum Gandhi | DNA Around 250 children, aged between 5-15 years,… Continue reading Parsi kids revive Monajats at event
The indomitable Parsis
The Parsi story seen through three very different exhibitions in Delhi that chronicle their art and aesthetics, their early history and their unique brand of spiritualism Pestonji Bomanji’s ‘Feeding the Parrot’ instantly draws attention to its illumination, where it is light that speaks through the portrait. The woman’s enduring sad eyes (although the profile shows… Continue reading The indomitable Parsis
Sarosh Zaiwalla: The Lawyer Who Tried To Halt Iraq War
Sarosh Zaiwalla peers deeply into his phone. It pings at him. His kitchen-sitting-dining room is several shades of white; sunlight beams through large modern windows. Beyond the garden, the English Channel laps the beach. Article by Alexander Gilmour | FT.com Ping! “Financial Times wants a quote from me on this lifting of sanctions.” His tones… Continue reading Sarosh Zaiwalla: The Lawyer Who Tried To Halt Iraq War
Nadir Maneckjee: The Hatter of Bangalore
Through a gateway leading off Cunningham Road stands the Hatworks Boulevard, one of the few colonial era mansions that have survived the turn of the century. The structure, now home to about 12 businesses, is named after the Imperial Hatworks, a hat-and-headgear-making factory started by England-trained master hat-cutter Nadir Maneckjee. Article By Chetana Divya Vasudev… Continue reading Nadir Maneckjee: The Hatter of Bangalore
Book Launch: My Mother Used To Say
FEZANA Announces the launch of a new book My Mother Used To Say Parsi and Persian Quotations and Vignettes of their Inimitable Language and Lifestyle by Roshan Rohinton Rivetna and Dinaz Kutar Rogers Illustrations by Kaizin Pooniwala Hardcover, published by FEZANA, 2015. This delightful compilation captures and records — lest future generations growing up in… Continue reading Book Launch: My Mother Used To Say
Hard work, dedication and other life lessons from Rayomand Banajee
I’ll never forget the first five words, six if I’m being pedantic, that Rayomand Banajee ever said to me. It was back in 2008 at a prizegiving ceremony in Kolhapur after the National Karting Championship had just concluded. Rayo was standing there, clutching that hard-fought championship trophy that had only just been handed to him… Continue reading Hard work, dedication and other life lessons from Rayomand Banajee
